Pressure mounts on Peru's electoral authority amid vote count delays

Pressure is increasing on Piero Corvetto, head of Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), as delays and alleged irregularities plague the presidential vote count. As of Friday, no clear challenger has emerged to conservative frontrunner Keiko Fujimori, who leads with 17 percent of the vote. Business leaders and lawmakers are demanding Corvetto's resignation, arguing that a replacement should oversee the upcoming run-off.

The general election took place on Sunday, but logistical issues led to an extension in ballot distribution. Complaints about errors during the election have compounded the slow tally, which has rattled investor confidence. Currently, leftist Roberto Sanchez and ultraconservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga are in a tight race for second place, separated by approximately 13,000 votes, with Sanchez at 12.0 percent and Lopez Aliaga at 11.9 percent.

The ONPE reports that about 5 percent of ballots are under review due to missing information or polling station errors. Corvetto acknowledged logistical delays that extended voting by a day, particularly in Lima, which have led to fraud allegations from Lopez Aliaga. Despite these claims, Corvetto has denied any irregularities. The National Jury of Elections has filed a criminal complaint against Corvetto for alleged violations of voting rights, and an investigation is ongoing after voting materials were found discarded in Lima.

European Union election observers stated they found no evidence of fraud, but the situation remains tense as the final results may take up to two weeks to confirm, according to local election-monitoring group Transparencia.